Banks Seek Help Fending Off Foreign Cyberattacks

1/16/2013 3:20PM

Major U.S. banks are pressing for government action to block what they say is an intensifying Iranian campaign of cyberattacks against American financial institutions, Siobahn Gorman discusses on digits. Photo: Getty Images.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... I ... the ... state live I'm Simon console ... big banks ... seeking help from the government to fend off a cyber attacks from overseas ... with the story with washable Gorman she joins us now from Washington DC ... Tom Shiv on aam ... tells about this of the CSI the security is very involved with a bank ... well it certainly is Hannah for more than a year in out their heads then Annie as head of the Opel cyber campaign going on against ... American banks as well as Hasen golf and I it's un natural gas and oil companies in the Persian Gulf and ... U S defense officials say that ... if the government of Iran is behind these attacks and so ... as the attacks have accelerated in the fall and now into this year ... that things are are are are watching you know lots and lots of money go out the door into the job answer or have now spent millions trying to defend against these things and so ... they're starting to say enough is enough they really need the government to help defend them against the attacks either ... of the start walking them or go after the guys who were were perpetrated ... net now banks are typically known to have great contact operations they can on high award commission even though the high and the ... the best program is the best security people because they have all a lot of money ALM so what what will the government be Obel to do that the bank's common reply for themselves ... well ... I had is the most comprehensive picture of how these attacks are taking place ... instead of what what is that what what the indicators are that the attacks are about to take place ... and Ivy are in a little bit better positioned to deal with a comprehensive Lehigh and certainly if anybody is going to ... actually tried to attack back that would have to be the US government that would be illegal Friday to do that but he did sort of something that would be very talkative like that the banks ... think that the US government is just in a better position to comprehensively deal with the campaign because right now thanks to just having to deal one-on-one with their Internet providers can't ... you just end up with and about a day pass uber spots them in this this income a Laming of course anyone with that money in a bank aam and I mean guys that we will will the money in banks and that that's a worry ... now the irony it seems to me here is that banks tend not to like government to ... involve mental as they want what interference with that business and yet now that the seeking help ... yet and I what I spoke privately with people on the U S government side they were very quick to point out ... that the banks I well ... technically the financial services industry ... was a big forest Bay opposed this cybersecurity legislation that the White House was promoted last year and eighty eventually failed ... so I you know when when you speak with I've felt soo who represent the banking perspective they say well ... you know that was that Apple cider legislation today was about having the government ... require based in the and and other private sector entities to meet certain standards wares here we just want the government to take action on this particular campaign and said there they differentiate but also the government's IDC a visit ... I know that this is our money on a bit ticked off and the government ... I has a little bit of frustration that officially they say they they think that this is a serious problem and they ... are dealing with it and a very deliberative fast and there have that high level White House meetings where they discuss this that they haven't decided exactly how it is that the U S government wants to respond so far ... they have been working with the bank's fairly extensively but it's mainly that in terms of information sharing and so what some of the speed to lead the regional banks are asking for is for ... bed that government actually take actions that way ... I've mitigate these attacks in in some form ... ok and will will will always find one on top of the story thank you Brian